ubuntu-bug crashes when there's no sources.list

[Robin Sheat]

$ ubuntu-bug apport

*** Collecting problem information

The collected information can be sent to the developers to improve the
application. This might take a few minutes.
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/usr/bin/apport-cli", line 365, in <module>
    if not app.run_argv():
  File "/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/apport/ui.py", line 554, in run_argv
    return self.run_report_bug()
  File "/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/apport/ui.py", line 359, in run_report_bug
    self.collect_info(symptom_script)
  File "/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/apport/ui.py", line 874, in collect_info
    icthread.exc_raise()
  File "/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/apport/REThread.py", line 34, in run
    self._retval = self.__target(*self.__args, **self.__kwargs)
  File "/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/apport/ui.py", line 74, in thread_collect_info
    report.add_package_info(package)
  File "/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/apport/report.py", line 219, in add_package_info
    version = packaging.get_version(package)
  File "/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/apport/packaging_impl.py", line 92, in get_version
    pkg = self._apt_pkg(package)
  File "/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/apport/packaging_impl.py", line 85, in _apt_pkg
    return self._cache()[package]
  File "/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/apport/packaging_impl.py", line 53, in _cache
    self._apt_cache = apt.Cache(progress, rootdir='/')
  File "/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/apt/cache.py", line 101, in __init__
    self._check_and_create_required_dirs(rootdir)
  File "/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/apt/cache.py", line 131, in _check_and_create_required_dirs
    open(rootdir + f, "w").close()
IOError: [Errno 13] Permission denied: '//etc/apt/sources.list'

If I run it with sudo, then it makes a zero-byte sources.list file. The reason we don't have a sources.list is that puppet manages the files in /etc/apt/sources.list.d according to the needs of the server.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 12.04
Package: apport 2.0.1-0ubuntu17.6
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.8.0-42.63~precise1-generic 3.8.13.23
Uname: Linux 3.8.0-42-generic x86_64
ApportVersion: 2.0.1-0ubuntu17.6
Architecture: amd64
CrashReports: 640:3276:106:13876:2014-07-16 11:35:09.958702133 +1200:2014-07-16 11:35:09.958702133 +1200:/var/crash/_usr_bin_apport-bug.3276.crash
Date: Wed Jul 16 11:46:54 2014
MarkForUpload: True
PackageArchitecture: all
SourcePackage: apport
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)

[Marcus Tomlinson (marcustomlinson)]

This release of Ubuntu is no longer receiving maintenance updates. If this is still an issue on a maintained version of Ubuntu please let us know.

[Robin Sheat (eythian)]

This is still a bug in a supported version.

robin@taniwha:/etc/apt$ sudo mv sources.list sources.list.bak
[sudo] wachtwoord voor robin:
robin@taniwha:/etc/apt$ ubuntu-bug apport
Gtk-Message: 11:56:56.196: GtkDialog mapped without a transient parent. This is discouraged.

[... displays the message in the attached screenshot ...]

robin@taniwha:/etc/apt$ sudo mv sources.list.bak sources.list
robin@taniwha:/etc/apt$ ubuntu-bug apport

[... proceeds to collect data like normal ...]

robin@taniwha:/etc/apt$ lsb_release -a
No LSB modules are available.
Distributor ID: Ubuntu
Description: Ubuntu 18.04.4 LTS
Release: 18.04
Codename: bionic

[Marcus Tomlinson (marcustomlinson)]

Thanks for the update Robin.